Sakura Storm
by SpiritPrincess101
Summary: Watch out! Ryuuzaki Sakuno's got a whirlwind of love coming-multi-chapter, Sakuno-centric drabbles/one-shots! Accepting requests for different Sakuno pairings! CH7: My Turn -Oishi x Sakuno- PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! AND REQUEST!
1. KiriSaku: A Stubborn Fairy Tale

"Oi, Sa-chan." A hand roughly shook Sakuno's shoulder. She mumbled something incoherent before burying herself deeper in the sheets.

"Sa. ku. no." The voice repeated, this time in a more singsong tone.

She fluttered open one eye, almost moaning out loud with the effort needed to accomplish such a simple action. After refocusing, her brain recognized the presence of someone. A boy, to be exact.

Kirihara Akaya, to be specific.

Sakuno blinked sleepily at first. "Akaya-kun?" she murmured.

"Yo," he said simply while grinning boyishly. His mass of curly black hair was unruly as usual; his green eyes shone with amusement.

"…" While she was unsure how to interpret the situation, realization was slowly dawning upon her…

"…" And while she was figuring out what was going on, her second-year boyfriend silently gazed right back at her, unperturbed.

"Ah!" Sakuno shot up in bed and pulled the sheets up to her chest, eyes wide. "A-Akaya-kun!" she stuttered in her surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Um…waking you up?" Kirihara said it with a "duh" tone, ruffling her hair all the while.

"I mean," she slapped his hand away lightly before gesturing to her surroundings to emphasize her meaning. "In. My. _Room_."

"Oh. Your baa-chan let me up," he replied nonchalantly—to him, everything in the world was perfectly dandy.

_Remind me to never, ever just wear a cami and boyshorts to bed. _Sakuno noted to herself. "All right," she said, suddenly feeling very tired again. "Just…give me a sec and get out for a moment."

Kirihara cocked his head to the side like a puppy. "Why?"

"Get. Out." Sakuno gritted her teeth. Who knew that she had such a bad temper in the morning compared to her sweet self at school?

"Why?" Kirihara persisted, wanting to know the reason he was getting kicked out of her room.

"Because my granddaughter needs to change and I won't allow for you to defile her body before the age of 21, you brat," a deep voice boomed from behind him.

Kirihara straightened immediately, a cold shudder running up his spine as he apprehensively turned behind him to see Ryuuzaki Sumire glaring at him. She picked him up by the scruff of his neck, and after bidding a pleasant good morning to her granddaughter, proceeded to drag him down the stairs, protesting all the way. "If you're not going to let me stay with her," Sakuno heard her boyfriend grumbling, "then don't let me up in the first place!"

"Oh hush you!" Sakuno heard a smack, followed by "OW!"

Sakuno let out a sigh, before giggling to herself. "Akaya-kun is such an child sometimes," she smiled fondly.

* * *

After saying goodbye to her grandmother and putting on her shoes, Sakuno quietly slipped her hand into Akaya's larger one, and off they went.

It had been exactly a year since they started dating, and while all the awkwardness that had been there at first was not completely gone, they were much more at ease with each other. Even Sakuno's stuttering had gone down—albeit when Kirihara caught her by surprise.

But judging by the goofy-as-usual look on his face, he had probably forgotten what today was. Sakuno shrugged it off and just continued swinging their intertwined hands. It _was_ Kirihara Akaya, after all. He wasn't the type to get mushy just because of a girl.

Shaking that thought from her head, she looked up at her boyfriend. "So, where are we going today, Akaya-kun?" she asked. He didn't seem to be bringing her anywhere in the neighborhood, but they weren't heading towards the Kanagawa train line either. So not near her house, but not near his…where _were_ they going?

"You'll see." He grinned.

"Hey," she pouted. "What's with the secrecy?"

"Sa-chan, we'll get there when we get there," he replied cryptically. "It's a surprise."

Well, now that he dragged that pet name in, it wasn't like she could resist. Not to mention, when Akaya decided something, that was it. End of conversation. No changes. Her going out with him was a pretty good example.

_Despite everybody being so sure, including Sakuno herself, of her and Ryoma being the perfect match, Kirihara proved everyone wrong. At the tennis camp where he met her for the second time, by the last of the numbered days they had together, Sakuno had fallen more in love with Kirihara than anyone (including Ryoma) before. _

"_I'm gonna make Sa-chan mine," was what he had said._

_And things had turned out exactly the way he had wanted them to. _

"-chan!"

"Sa-chan!" Kirihara said more urgently. He was waving a hand in front of Sakuno's face, causing her to jump in light surprise.

"Sorry, Akaya-kun. Did you say something?"

"We're here." Kirihara said proudly, turning her so that she faced away from him. "Take a look."

Sakuno did "take a look," and she was puzzled by what met her eyes. "Um…" A cloudy grey mass and the fact that they were in the middle of nowhere? Right, totally appealing. She didn't mean to be sarcastic, but she was confused, it was in the morning, and she felt utterly lost.

Kirihara shot her an apologetic look. "Uh, sorry, wrong timing. Give it about 15 minutes."

Sakuno was getting more curious by the minute. "Okay. 15 minutes it is then."

He carefully brought her over to what she recognized to be a tree after feeling the rough indentations in the bark. Taking in a deep breath, she calmed down and leaned comfortably against Akaya, who had sat down with his back against the tree. As he ran his fingers through her hair, her eyes flitted back and forth in a futile attempt to see where they were. _Well, I have a clue… that we're somewhere in the woods?_

She smiled again. _He could have done worse, I suppose_. There _was_ that one time that he brought her to a haunted house that had just opened in the vicinity of his school. Needless to say, that did _not_ go well.

Due partly to her inability to discern anything in the fog, and partly to Kirihara's soothing massages down her scalp, Sakuno felt herself nodding away in her boyfriend's arms. _Just a few minutes_, she thought to herself before a light doze overtook her consciousness.

* * *

"Sa-chan, wake up. You've got to see this." Kirihara's excited voice penetrated through Sakuno's sleep-affected mind.

"Hm?" she said groggily. He pulled her limp body up and tapped her on the forehead lightly. "Come on sleepy head, _look_."

This time, she really did, because _this_ time, everything came together in one breathtaking whoosh. The fog had lifted, the sun was shining brightly above their heads, and the birds' light song rang through the foresty area they stood in.

And in the midst of everything, right in front of her, was the most picturesque, enrapturing lake she had ever seen.

"Akaya-kun…" she breathed. "A lake…" she couldn't find the words to describe it. Each sparkle in the water, every ripple from the breeze, the gradient from aquamarine to deep navy blue across the lake—it was undescribably perfect.

His arms wrapped around her waist from behind as he leaned onto her, his chin on her shoulder. "You like it?" he asked, though it was obvious he knew the answer.

"Yes, yes I do!" she said excitedly. "It's like, it's like—"

"Swan Lake?" Kirihara teasingly finished his girlfriend's sentence for her; he knew too well her weakness for fairy tales like Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake story. But Sakuno was too ecstatic to be embarrassed, and instead, latched onto him in gratitude.

"Oh my god, it is, it is!" she agreed excitedly, letting go of him to bounce around in wonder, taking in every detail and stopping here or there to observe some small bird or spreading ripple and wave.

She eventually got tired from dashing around her newfound-favorite place, and went back to her boyfriend, who took the chance to wind his arms around her again. She returned the gesture and buried her face affectionately in his warm, solid chest before turning her head upwards.

Sakuno gazed up at him through those brown, doe-like eyes (although Kirihara personally thought they looked more like the eyes of a puppy. He liked puppies. They were much better than cats. She was kind of like a beagle. Or maybe a terrier). "What brings this about?" A tint of hope colored her tone of voice.

Kirihara smirked. "Nothing, really. Just found this place the other day."

At feeling Sakuno slump slightly at his nonchalant reply, he gave her body a light squeeze of affection before bonking her teasingly on the head. "Kidding, kidding."

She looked up at him again in surprise.

"Happy anniversary!" Kirihara grinned cheekily, those oh-so-green pools reflecting great fondness for the girl in his arms.

"Akaya-kun!" her eyes shone. "You remembered! You really did!"

"Of course I did," he replied, a little offended at how little trust she had in him. "After all, I _am_ _the_ Kirihara Akaya. What would I be if I couldn't even make my own girl happy?"

She giggled. How ironic life could be sometimes; that _this_ stubborn boy would make a fairy tale come true...for her, a girl. "That you are," she nodded while grinning away, "that you are."

* * *

So...how was it? This is like, the first time I've ever written anything on Kirihara, so kinda apprehensive, but the muse struck tonight, so I posted!

PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEWS ARE THE COOKIES AND MILK FOR AUTHORS!


	2. ShiraSaku: Perfect Planning

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! THIS CH2: SHIRAISHI X SAKUNO! (dedicated to my first requester: Mistress Hydrangea!)

* * *

"Sakuno-chan!" Shiraishi called while waving at the girl. "Over here!"

Sakuno stepped tentatively out of the train and scanned her surroundings, trying to locate the source of the voice. After spotting Shiraishi's waving hand from across the train station, she slowly squeezed-pushed-apologized, and made her way over to him; he immediately drew her into a protective hug before she was swept away by the unrelenting wave of Osaka train-goers.

"How are you doing, Sakuno-chan?" he nuzzled her head affectionately.

Sakuno blushed while chiding him gently, "Shiraishi-san, cut it out. We're in public."

"Call me Kuranosuke, and I'll think about it."

She was stunned momentarily, only able to gape at him like a goldfish.

Amused by her surprise, Shiraishi winked at her. "Just kidding! Jeez, you're like that old baa-chan of yours. No sense of humor!"

She smacked him lightly. "Watch your mouth, good sir. The lady is offended by your crude sense of fun."

Shiraishi gasped exaggeratedly and faked a pained staggering step backwards. "Oh, help me Lord! I have offended the lady." He turned his arms to the sky, feigning despair. "Forgive me, oh holy Heavens!"

At a peripheral glance over to the girl, he saw her giggling while doubled over. He grinned and let his arms drop. _Operation Make Sakuno-chan Laugh—mission accomplished_.

When her laughter subsided, Sakuno glanced up to see Shiraishi just looking at her with that good-natured smile of his. He silently held out his hand, and she took it happily.

* * *

On their first time out together (after a stern curfew-talk from Sumire), he had taken her to his school and gave her a tour of the place. Sakuno's jaw had dropped at the size of the place—there were double the number of tennis courts compared to Seigaku!

But this time, he wasn't saying anything. After taking a half hour taxi ride, he had silently asked for her hand again and began walking in some random direction.

Sakuno looked up at her much taller companion, half of her mind wondering where they were going, half of her mind preoccupied with how handsome his face was.

Feeling her eyes on him, Shiraishi turned his gaze down to her. "What's up?"

Sakuno snapped her eyes back to the ground, willing her cheeks to stop heating up. "N-nothing in particular."

"Okay." Sakuno felt Shiraishi shrug a little, but as the shy girl currently found the ground to be marvelously entertaining, she missed the dazzling grin on Shiraishi's face. He saw everything, knew everything. Sakuno didn't see _that_, and knew not a clue about what was coming.

They continued to stroll along, Shiraishi's warm hand engulfing Sakuno's smaller one as he guided her towards their destination.

Eventually, Sakuno began to pick up loud voices and bells ringing from somewhere in front of them. Curious, she began to walk faster, eventually getting so far ahead that she felt a tug from behind. Eyes bright and braids swinging, she grinned at Shiraishi and pulled. "Come on, Kuranosuke-san! You're so slow!" she laughed lightheartedly.

Shiraishi's eyes widened before softening and teasing her, "All right, you little fairy sprite, don't get lost!"

A few quick strides brought him back on pace with her, and she dragged him over to where the noises were coming from. The moment they turned the corner, Sakuno's eyes turned as big as saucers, her mouth dropping open.

Shiraishi glanced at her, grinning. He tapped her lightly on the head. "Don't let go of my hand, you hear?"

"Yup!"

"Okay then, let's go!"

As they strode along, Sakuno and Shiraishi took short stops at the vendors with cute trinkets (Sakuno) and interesting vintage items (Shiraishi) they were interested in. Sakuno also took a long gaze up at the surrounding buildings, surprised to see, not skyscrapers like that in the busy city, but old-fashioned apartments. Some had creaky-looking shutters popped open, with laundry hanging out on lines and some watering plants put out on dainty sills.

"Where is this?" she asked Shiraishi.

He looked down at her again, smiling mysteriously. "Where do you _think_ this is?" he shot the question back to her playfully.

"Mm…" As she seriously pondered the possibilities as he waited for an answer, all of a sudden…

"Kura-kun!" A booming voice shouted from behind them. The two turned around to see a cheery-faced, jolly-bellied, and…VERY tall man.

Sakuno looked up in pure awe at the stranger. He had to be 5' 10' at least, no, 6 feet, no…7' 3''? He towered at the very _least_ a foot over even Shiraishi, who was about 5' 10'' or so from Sakuno's perspective.

The man clapped Shiraishi on the shoulders, seemingly overjoyed at the boy's presence. "How have you been, Kura-kun? It's been a year since you last came!"

Spotting Sakuno by his side, the man chuckled. "Out chasing girls, aren't you, Kura-kun? A lovely one at that!" he added in that booming, though kind, voice of his.

Shiraishi grinned. "Yo, Kawaguchi-ojisan! Just a bit. But this one's special." he winked down at said girl. And Sakuno, who had already been blushing from this "Kawaguchi" man's compliment, turned an even deeper pink.

Kawaguchi paused for a moment before his face lit up in excitement. "Kura-kun, wait here for just a second; I'll call everybody out."

He immediately dashed back into what appeared to be his shop, leaving Shiraishi's hand outstretched in a futile attempt to stop him. The boy's brow furrowed; next to him, Sakuno idly wondered what could be wrong.

Soon later, a mix of female and male, young and old voices neared the two. "Kura-kun? Is it really him?"

"He's home?"

"Oh my goodness, he's here!"

"Oh our dear boy! He's back!"

And subsequently, a huge wave of people came crashing from the second floor of the shop onto the streets, surrounding Shiraishi and Sakuno like bees on honey.

_Can't. Breathe._ Sakuno struggled in the bumping, bustling crowd. Though ever since meeting Shiraishi, she had come out of her shell a little more with the help of Shitenhouji boys, it still bothered her greatly when too tightly enclosed. It was like claustrophobics in elevators; but her elevator came in the specific form of just too many people. _  
_

Finally unable to take it anymore, she regretfully let go of Shiraishi's hand to carefully extract herself from the mob, weaving her way out through the small gaps. At the loss of contact, Shiraishi turned his head in alarm in Sakuno's direction. He called out, "Sakuno-chan!" but Sakuno disregarded it. She had to get out. _Now_.

Successfully squeezing out of the crowd, Sakuno moved some ways away to a wooden bench. She sat down and fixed her braids, which had somehow gotten horridly messed up in the process of escaping. All the while, her eyes were fixed on Shiraishi as he dealt with all the people: greeting them, joking with them, playing with the little ones and kindly embracing the elderly.

A rather uncomfortable feeling of envy bubbled up inside, and a sigh escaped from her throat. Eyes cast downwards in a complicated combination of shame and regret, she thought, if only she had that type of charisma..._ Wouldn't life be so much easier..._

"Sakuno-chan!"

Almost as quickly as her ears registered her name being called by that familiar voice, her eyes saw his shadow moving towards her as he ran. Shiraishi dashed over to the bench she was sitting on, apologizing all the while. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know-well I _did_ know, but I didn't think that-"

Sakuno interrupted him. "It can't be helped," she said while smiling wistfully, "Shiraishi-san, you're just too charismatic. Everyone likes you."

He wasn't ignorant enough to not notice the remnants of bitterness in her voice, and just by looking at her face, he already knew roughly what she was thinking. And while Shiraishi had no clue what others had dated this sweet little girl, but he knew that any _sane_ guy (him included) was _certainly_ was not going to leave this type of situation at that. "Sakuno-chan, look at me." He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to pull her towards him, but her face stayed turned away.

"Look at me." It became urgent-a demand, command, no longer a request. Sakuno stiffened a little at his tone, but turned her gaze back to him. He again saw it reflected in her eyes: a bit at a loss, a bit of worry, and a whole lot of insecurity.

How many times had he seen this look of desperation in her eyes before? Shiraishi wondered. Why couldn't she see that she held the same degree of beauty as every single girl out there, both in and out.

He spoke his next words slowly and clearly, willing them to drill themselves into her mind. "You are beautiful, Sakuno-chan. You are intelligent. You are kind, compassionate."

"And...you are loved."

Sakuno just stared at him, wide-eyed. As what he said sunk in deeply, the tender smile on her face grew with every word. "Thank you, Shiraishi-san." No one had ever bothered to spell it all out for her; no one had realized exactly how scared she was of rejection and being alone, how much she needed to hear it from someone's lips. No one had seen it...except for him.

And here he was, holding out a welcoming hand for her once more, ready to help her along whenever she stumbled.

"Last time I recall, it was 'Kuranosuke-san." he winked suggestively.

Sakuno blushed prettily, the heat of her flush melding with the natural rosiness of her cheeks. "Thank you, Kuranosuke-san." She savored the feel of his name rolling off her tongue. She could get used to this...

Shiraishi was secretly pleased to no end, but held in his joy, simply saying "Let's go" to Sakuno. She took his hand, reflecting lightly on the whirl of events the past morning had brought. She almost laughed at herself and the ridiculously quick emotion change she had there. But while some things were to be forgotten and some just wouldn't matter, one thing would stay with her forever.

Everything he did with her, said for her, showed to her...they all meant the world to her.

* * *

They continued along their window-vendor shopping, Sakuno in a much improved mood as the children also began milling around in the streets to play or help their parents with the daily chores.

As they walked, however, something struck Sakuno. "Kuranosuke-san, you never did tell me what this place is to you?"

"Oh?" the boy raised an eyebrow. "I thought you'd know by now."

"I have a guess, but..."

"Shoot," Shiraishi gave her the ok.

"Is this your hometown?" Sakuno had thought over several possibilities, but this was the most likely in her opinion.

"Mm..." Shiraishi made a noncommittal humming sound.

Sakuno's hopes fell. Guess she was off the mark; definitely could forget about any detective work in the future...

"Bingo."

"Eh?" Sakuno could not believe her ears. "Really? I'm right?" her eyes lit up with the excitement at having guessed correctly.

Shiraishi laughed, the lighthearted sound ringing through Sakuno's ears. "Yes, you're right. I grew up here, until middle school, where I ended up moving into the dorms at Shitenhouji. Since then, I've only been having sporadic trips back here once or twice a year."

"And those people from before?"

"All my childhood friends and my parents' friends or family. A warmhearted bunch, yeah?"

She smiled a little wrily, "Yes. Quite...But where are your parents then?"

"They're out; probably somewhere in America right now on their world-wide cruise trip."

Sakuno's jaw fell open. "Wow..." was all she could say. _A cruise around the world...that's amazing!_

Shiraishi shrugged, clearly not overly impressed. Was he used to this type of spending and outings? Sakuno was curious, but did not pursue the matter further. If anything, she was a little disappointed; her bottom lip came a tad out from under her upper lip in a pout.

"I'll introduce you to my parents next time, all right?" Shiraishi patted her on the head. "Get rid of that pout, sweetheart."

Sakuno flushed again, stammering in embarrassment. "I-I wasn't really..." _My god, _was her mortified thought, _I didn't mean to sound like I was his girlfriend on the way to see his parents for the first time! _As imagined possibilities flew through her mind, she shook her head vigorously from left to right to rid herself of those thoughts.

In her distracted state, she failed to notice a group of young children rushing towards them while dragging several buckets of water from the wells in their hands. By the time she noticed, it was already too late.

They collided with a crash, with a cold, drenched Sakuno at the bottom of the newly formed human pile. The children groaned from the collision, but quickly got up when they noticed the girl under them. A little girl in the group tugged on Shiraishi's shirt.

"Kura-nii-chan, we didn't mean to!" she explained desperately. "We're sorry, we're sorry," the group chanted in unison.

Sakuno felt kind of bad for the kids. "It's all right boys and girls, just run along now."

"Sorry! And thank you!" the group said once more before running off with their water pails, bringing whatever was left back home.

She looked after their disappearing silhouettes, giving off a motherly aura. Everything seemed to be okay until...

"A-ACHOO!" a sneeze as loud as the feral snarl of a wildcat ripped through her throat and nose, causing Shiraishi to bite back a laugh.

He patted her head again. "All right, let's get you warm, dry, and dressed before you catch cold."

Sakuno could only nod, silently willing the impending sneeze to hold itself in. Her attempts were futile, unfortunately. "Achoo!" another sneeze flew out, further increasing Shiraishi's efforts to herd her towards a certain building. Obediently, she followed, sneezing all the while.

* * *

"K-Kuranosuke-san?" a slightly panicked voice from inside the dressing room called Shiraishi. He sat up from his comfy position on the store's sofa.

"Yeah?" he called loudly back.

"U-um..." Sakuno hesitated.

Before she could say anything, a store attendant came out from the dressing room and nodded to Shiraishi. "It looks perfect on her, Kura-kun. She'll be out in a minute," she smiled.

"Thanks, Mimi."

Mimi popped back into the dressing room. "Come on, sweetie. You look great!" Shiraishi smiled, all but able to picture Mimi coaxing Sakuno out.

Finally... "Behold!" Mimi walked out with a flourish, motioning with her hands for Sakuno to come out.

And when she did...Shiraishi unconsciously let out a low whistle.

There Ryuzaki Sakuno stood in a black cocktail dress and silver heels, hair up and light makeup done, enhancing her light curves and natural beauty. But clearly the person herself had no clue how impressive she looked. Constantly tugging on the hem of her dress and picking at imaginary lint, Sakuno looked up at Shiraishi. "Kuranosuke-san, I can't get this," she whispered urgently.

"Why? It looks great on you, to say the least!"

Sakuno looked around them, before gesturing for him to bend down to listen. He did as she bid, lending her his ear. She cupped her hand to channel her words. "I can't afford it," she hissed.

Shiraishi burst out laughing, which alarmed his companion greatly.

"It's not funny," she whined.

"No, I'm sorry," he apologized while still chuckling. As the laughter subsided, he clapped a warm hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll buy it for you."

Sakuno's eyes widened even more. "No! That's unacceptable!" she waved her hands in a "no" gesture, but he wouldn't have it.

"It would be a total waste to _not_ buy that dress, Sakuno-chan. No arguing. End of discussion." he closed any arguments with that, looking away from the girl as to avoid seeing her indignant pout. He had to refrain himself, or even he wouldn't be able to predict whether he'd burst out laughing again or give in to her requests. _  
_

"Not today," he thought. "Definitely not today."

Sakuno turned around, as if to make her way back to the dressing room, but Shiraishi grabbed her elbow. Shooting him a questioning look, Sakuno said, "Uh, I think I should go change now..."

"No, keep it on. We can pay for it like this."

As if on cue, Mimi walked over and handed Shiraishi a small piece of paper-the receipt?

"Here you go, Kura-kun. Thanks for shopping here, with your cute little girlfriend," Mimi added playfully.

He swatted her on the head. "Thanks. I'll see you later."

"Come on, Sakuno. Hold on to my hand, or you might trip in those heels."

"You decided to make me buy these, Kuranosuke-san." Sakuno pouted. It wasn't like she didn't like heels, but these were pretty restraining. It was almost impossible to walk in a straight line had she not been putting half her weight on Shiraishi's arm.

"Well, they just guarantee that you're going to have to lean on me, won't 'cha?" Shiraishi winked.

Sakuno wanted to blush, facepalm, and roll her eyes all at the same time. Unfortunately, her body decided to choose for her.

She blushed like there was no tomorrow.

* * *

"All right," Shiraishi stopped them in front of a rather antique looking building. The door handles were a sleek maroon wood, with golden-plated lion handles as knockers. "Here we are." He slammed a knocker twice before dropping his hand and waiting. Approximately thirty seconds later, which prompted Sakuno's thought of "_that was fast_," a man dressed in extremely formal clothing opened on the door with a impeccably clean white silk glove.

"Welcome to 'La Reve," Shiraishi-sama," the man said while bowing deeply.

Shiraishi nodded. "Thank you."

The man (butler?) guided them to a table in a secluded part of the restaurant, hidden away from the crowd and noise of the main hallway. Shiraishi handed him a tip, and then the man hurried away.

"Are we ordering later?" Sakuno asked.

"No," Shiraishi said simply, the mysterious signs of a grin on his lips.

"Hm..." Sakuno was puzzled, but decided to just keep quiet and wait. No need to be impatient.

Her patience was quickly rewarded, as several waiters came over to the table and began placing food on the table. Sakuno's eyes widened with every new dish, impressed greatly by the aesthetic and aromatic appeal of each one.

Dinner was much fun, with loud laughter from both Sakuno and Shiraishi as they exchanged amusing stories and the latest silly jokes of their respective school teams.

After the last dish, Sakuno expected the waiters to clear the dishes and then ask for the cheque. However, she was once again perplexed by what was actually set in front of her in the end. And the oddest part was that only she had it; Shiraishi didn't.

"A tennis-ball chocolate?" Clear amusement danced in her eyes at the intriguing shape of the sweet.

"Pop it open," Shiraishi encouraged.

She looked at him, unsure of what he meant. He used his two hands to mimic cracking the sweet in half, and she followed his movements.

And to her utmost surprise and delight, a simple, yet unbelievably elegant silver ring came out to "clink" on her dessert plate. Sakuno dropped the chocolate carefully down before picking the ring up. Wrapped around the ring was a thin piece of paper that read, "Be my girlfriend?"

Her gaze shifted slowly back and forth, from the ring, to a grinning Shiraishi, back to the ring, back to Shiraishi.

And then it hit her...the mysterious smiles, his uncannily calm way of dealing with the drenched disaster, not having to order the food and its automatic arrival at their table...

"You planned all this, didn't you!" It was hard to stop the accusation from coloring her voice.

"But of course," Shiraishi smiled. "You do realize I'm known as Shitenhouji's Bible player?"

Sakuno gave an unladylike snort. "Oh really?" The entire _country_ of Japan knew about his title as the "perfect" player of tennis.

"Yeah." Shiraishi leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, a self-satisfied smile on his face. "Except now…" he trailed off suggestively.

"What about now?" Sakuno looked at him confusedly.

"Well, with the ring, the dress, and everything, I was hoping it was pretty obvious, isn't it?" He took his hands from behind his head and leaned towards her. Getting so close that his mouth was at her ear and she was blushing from the close proximity, he whispered, "I'm exclusively _your_ Bible."

* * *

A/N: Lol...Shiraishi...hope you guys don't mind me totally leaving it at that. Just to make sure, yes, she's basically saying yes by not saying no here. He was just making it official-they were acting like a couple anyways. XD and sorry for the random angst in the middle, just had to add it in, to compare how insecure Sakuno is sometimes with how Shiraishi is considered 'perfect'

So...Mistress Hydrangea, how was it? Hope you liked it!

EVERYONE, PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! AND REQUEST! ALL REQUESTS TAKEN!


	3. YuutaSaku: A Different Kind of Sweet

Hi there! Thank you to all those are viewing this story and favoriting and following! I love all of you!

And also, a huge shout out to all my reviewers, both signed in and guests! THANK YOU SO MUCH, AND PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ME THROUGH REVIEWS! It means so much, really it does! ^^

So, to the second requester: **AlphaSigma**! Thank you for requesting such a special pair; it was really fun writing for these two! XD

And to everyone else, here you go! Please enjoy and remember-REVIEW! ^^

* * *

"Fuji-kun!" Sakuno waved happily at the boy from across the cafe, calling his name loudly to get his attention.

Smiling back at her, Yuuta disregarded all the curious stares (some good-natured, some not so much) and quickly walked over to where she was sitting, plopping down on the cushiony chair.

"Hey there," he greeted her nonchalantly.

She looked up at him, her eyes both twinkling with delight at seeing him and clouded with shame at attracting unwanted attention, which she knew Yuuta hated most. "I'm sorry," she apologized quietly. "I shouldn't have called out so loudly."

He ruffled her hair and pulled lightly on one silky braid. "Don't worry about it. I'm used to it."

_I'm used to it_. Sakuno bit her lip, her old middle school habit reappearing whenever she was thinking deeply.

_I'm used to it, he said. _She mulled over his tone, unsettled by how unaffected he seemed to be, when in reality _anybody_ would have been hurt by that-the fact that they were being known for someone else of the same last name. Granted, that _was_ his brother, but didn't that make things worse?

Sakuno shook her head vigorously, trying to rearrange the jumbled mess in hier mind into a more coherent stream of thoughts, when she felt someone's gaze on her. Her head snapped up to see Yuuta looking at her with a cocked eyebrow and a worried expression.

"Are you all right?" he asked tenderly, albeit a bit confused.

"Oh, um, yes," Sakuno blustered. She smoothed down her skirt, looking frantically in any direction but his face. "I'm perfectly all right, thank you, Fuji-kun." _Oh crap_. She had said it again.

But when she peeked over at him through her peripheral vision to gauge his reaction, Yuuta seemed absolutely normal and content with the situation. If anything, Sakuno became increasingly worried at the unrelenting stream of sugar he was emptying into the tea he had ordered.

"Um...Fuji-kun..." she warily reached out a hand, ready to stop him from putting in a fifth packet of sugar. Fortunately, he put down the fifth and began mixing in the sugar after the fourth, so she put her hand down after a quiet sigh of relief. Dear lord, he'd get himself a mighty heart attack at the rate he was going.

"Yeah?" he looked up at her innocently, seemingly unaware or, perhaps just not bothered by the fact that he had just put in four times the amount of sugar that a normal person would usually have...

Sakuno shook her head in defeat, smiling fondly at the boy sitting across from her. "You really like sweet things, don't you?" She had noticed the same thing on their last couple of dates. Constantly, his eyes would wander to the desserts or he'd add in extra sweetener to anything possibly just not sweet _enough_, i.e. tea and coffee and even fruit!

Yuuta almost puffed out his cheeks, but reined his instincts in before he acted like a girl in _front_ of a girl. Especially _this _girl. That wouldn't be at all amusing (for him at least) when he was desperately trying to make a permanently good impression on her...

But in his defense, he said, "What? I just don't like bitter things!"

"Fuji-kun's got a sweet tooth~" Sakuno chanted in a singsong voice, her giggles spilling over into her lighthearted teasing.

Yuuta blushed lightly, before reaching over and pulling at one cheek. "Say that again, I dare you, you imp," he joked.

"Fushi-ku gah a hwee tooh" Sakuno kept going despite not being able to enunciate properly. Yuuta's other hand came into play as he subsequently pulled both sides of her face, and they both began laughing loudly at Sakuno's third attempt to continue teasing the sweet-toothed boy.

* * *

They finally quieted down after several rounds of outrageously raucous laughter and a few kindly reprimands from the cafe owner, who knew Sakuno very well. She had winked at the younger girl after reminding them to stay quieter, eliciting a sweet blush from Sakuno.

But that aside...

"Ne, Fuji-kun..." Sakuno said quietly, almost so quiet that he couldn't hear her. "Can I ask a favor?"

"Hm?" he sipped at his tea, humming happily as the now-sweetened taste sunk onto his taste buds.

"It's kind of ridiculous," Sakuno stalled, fiddling with her fingers. "You might get angry..." her voice trailed off, and Yuuta looked up.

It was rare for her to get this nervous around him. What could it possibly be?

"Hey." he patted her hands awkwardly to get her to calm down. "It's just me. It's just me," he repeated soothingly.

She bit her lip, which Yuuta noticed had clearly suffered quite a beating in the past half an hour. Just what on _earth_ did she want to ask him?

"Come on now," he coaxed. "What's up?"

She held it in for one more minute, before blurting out, "Can I call you Yuuta-kun instead of Fuji-kun?"

Yuuta was stunned. _Wait. What?_

Sakuno averted her eyes in distress, looking down at her lap. _I knew it. I _knew_ it,_ she thought, embarrassed from head to toe. _Of _course_ he'd be angry, we've only gone out once or twice, it's not like I'm his girlfri-_

Suddenly, she felt a hand tip her chin back up.

And the next thing she felt, were a pair of warm lips on hers. She closed her eyes in the short time it took place. Though it was a just a chaste press to her mouth, even after his lips detached from hers, a trail of heat still lingered in the aftermath of the kiss.

Yuuta murmured softly to her, "Thank you."

That startled Sakuno out of her trance. She refocused on his face, bewildered at his gratitude. "What? I've done nothing to deserve-"

"No one's ever _asked_ me before," his tone contained something close to anguish, Sakuno noted sadly while letting him continue, "if they could call me something to distinguish me from my brother.

Fuji Shuusuke, Fuji Yuuta. I could've been a girl and no one would have noticed the difference. _He'd_ be in the spotlight in everyone else's eyes. Where was there room for me?"

"But you did." Yuuta held Sakuno's hands in his. "You took me in, for me. For Fuji _Yuuta_, not _Fuji_-whatever."

"And for that, thank you. So very much." His grip tightened, his head bowed slightly towards her. "Thank you."

"No, please-" Sakuno's attempt to deny the credit was completely distracted by the first thing she saw when he lifted his head back up: his eyes-those pools of deep olive green, like the leaves of the lily plants she had just been watering this morning. Not always the main attraction, but always the thing that stuck along with the flowers through anything-the structures that never stopped supporting the beauty, through the good and the bad.

In them, all the pain, bitterness, frustration that she had previously seen was still reflected, but beginning to ebb away. Slowly, she could almost physically see the happiness and gratitude moving into those olive pools, and Sakuno realized that she wasn't really 'nothing.'

And it made her just a tad proud, but also really, super happy. Happy to see _him_ happy after years of internal torment.

Unconsciously, she found herself reaching over to cup Yuuta's face and pressing a return kiss onto his lips, leaving his mouth hanging in surprise after she dropped her hands and buried her head in her arms from embarrassment._  
_

Unbeknownst to her, in the silence, Yuuta was just watching her with a huge grin stretched across his face.

* * *

He, Fuji Yuuta, loved everything sweet.

From honey, to sugar, to frosting, sweet ice tea, cakes, scones.

But today, he thought, he had found one more "sweet," one that outshone all the others by miles and miles. And he would cherish it, the sweetness that only she would ever be able to provide him with. Looking at her fondly, he patted her hair while she continued to stay silent with her inevitably tomato-red face hidden from view.

_Thank you_. he thought again. _My _sweet_ angel_.

* * *

A/N: So...this is rarely seen I think? But I just thought it really fit with the whole Yuuta angst thing AND his obsession with sweet stuff XD AlphaSigma, hope you liked it ^^ it was more fluff than anything... X3 ok then, see you guys later! And don't forget...

EVERYONE, PLEASE REVIEW! AND REQUEST!

Lots of love and bear hugs-hime-chan


	4. FujiSaku: Fix Her Heart

So there's a slight connection to the previous chapter, not much though, and please don't kill me for putting Yuuta as a not-so-perfect guy in this chapter! x_x I actually love him dearly as a character, but it was necessary for this one to make sense! =_=

Hope you all enjoy! (And please review, too!) this was for **iwha**! Hope this was to your liking :)

* * *

The rain poured down in unrelenting sheets, and the skies warned of incoming ear-paining thunder. But she couldn't care less as she stared out into the gray world, her usually bright and flawless face now drained and puffy from all the teary rubbing. Her glassy-eyed gaze followed the occasional passersby rushing to get to the train or an overhang to wait out the rain.

But she was alone, under this awful leaky awning, in this awful rainstorm, on this awful day...awfully, _horridly_ alone. As another tear came sliding down her cheek, a bright flash of lightning cracked the dark sky in two, followed by a rumbling growl of thunder. Sakuno thought bitterly, _wow, Zeus, way to be sympathetic._

And as if in reply to her sarcastic thought, a second flash ripped through the blackness, accompanied once more by its ever faithful and loud companion. She simply rolled her eyes upwards like she was in search of some divine guidance.

Divine guidance was asking for a bit much, but as in on cue, her phone buzzed beside her, vibrating slightly on the short wooden bench she was seated on. Without even taking so much a glance at the caller ID, Sakuno flipped it open tiredly and spoke into the receiver, "Obaa-chan?"

"Sakuno!" Sumire bellowed, "Where are you in this pouring mess? School ended hours ago!"

_How about alone, crying, and wallowing in self-pity?_ Sakuno bit her lip. "I'm sorry, obaa-chan. I'm all right." Although she tried to keep a happy tone, a sniffle escaped her throat; she immediately clasped a hand over her mouth to silence any noises that would clue her grandmother in.

But being Sakuno's grandmother, of course she would notice. With a much softer and more worried voice, she pressed, "Sakuno? Come sweetheart, what happened?"

She tried denying it. "Nothing," she said while unconsciously shaking her head, despite her grandmother not being able to see. It had to be nothing, or she'd _make_ it _turn_ to nothing, or she would inevitably go crazy. "Nothing," she repeated, her voice cracking in desperation. "I'm fine."

In her attempts to distract her grandmother and convince her, or rather both of them, that she was all right, Sakuno missed the sound of ever nearing footsteps, the light splash of tennis shoes in the ever growing puddles outside her "leaky awning." Her _alone_ awning.

She raised her hand to her face to scrub at her eyes again, her index finger rubbing at a wet tear trail beginning at the corner of her right eye, when another hand grabbed her wrist and effectively halted any movement of her right hand.

Her head snapped up to look at the person who had come just to stop her furious abuse of evidence that she was falling, breaking, deep deep down. _Alone, indeed_. Now next to her, there was this person who was looking at her sadly; the same person who had just taken her phone away and, in the meantime, was speaking to her grandmother like it was everyday conversation for him.

Well, which it was.

"Good evening Coach Ryuzaki. Yes, I've got her with me."

"Yes," he shot her a brief sideways glance, "she will be all right."

He added softly, so softly that Sakuno couldn't be sure if she had imagined it or not, "I'll make sure of it."

"Yes."

"That is fine."

"Okay, then it is settled. Thank you," he said finally before lightly snapping Sakuno's phone shut and returning it to her, offering it out to her in an outstretched palm.

Sakuno didn't know how to respond. Of all people, and times, and places, _he_ was here. _Here_, in the middle of nowhere; and why was it him? She gaped, trying to grasp the reality. _Why wasn't it..._Her eyes, though still horribly swollen and dry, were wide with surprise, a tinge of confusion. But she finally registered what he held in his hand, and delicately took it from his grasp, delicate fingers immediately wiped at imaginary water on the sticker at the bottom, the painfully memorable one that had "Yuuta and Sakuno" scrawled across it in elegant kanji.

He just looked at her. Looked and looked until her eyes _finally_ met his, and he gave a wry smile back in reply, the usual unchanging expression he always made. "That's a great welcome to give to someone who's sitting here in the rain with you, Sakuno-chan."

Sakuno sat up, ashamed and embarrassed. "Sorry, Fuji-senpai!"

Fuji Shuusuke, drenched in rain and resembling a bit like a wet dog with a splash of brunette on its head, absentmindedly waved a hand to calm her. "I was just joking; don't take me seriously."

* * *

Then, there was silence.

Sakuno, being not the most talkative or gossipy girl in town, knew a lot about silence. She knew awkward silences, comfortable silences, mutually waiting silences, respectful silences between strangers, tense silences between teacher and student.

But this...this silence was one she had never experienced before.

She was impatiently waiting-for something, anything, fidgeting every few seconds while the rain tapped away above them. But all he did was sit there peacefully, with that ever-undisturbed grin on his face.

It was like, a chess silence. Those types of hushed moments when your partner or opponent was confident, and just going to sit back and wait for you...for you to make _your_ move, to which they always responded accordingly.

But what was she supposed to do? And what game were they playing?

* * *

There was silence.

And Fuji thought that it wasn't going to help anybody by pressing Sakuno to hurry up with deciding. So he sat there, trying to enjoy the sound of the rain and imagine happy thoughts with his cactus and camera and family at home. He sat there, waiting for the broken girl beside him to temporarily piece herself together and tell _him_ what _she_ wanted.

She would make the first move of this guessing game; he'd be there to receive it.

* * *

"How did you know?"

Fuji leaned back on his palms, his head lolling up towards the almost pitch-black skies. "Yuuta told me to come find you."

"Yuuta-kun...did?" Sakuno looked at Fuji, startled. She couldn't believe her ears at first, but then her eyes narrowed in suspicion. After all he said to her, rubbed into her brain and stepped on her, he told his _brother_ to come find her?

What was he trying to do? Prove that she was his and that he could play around with her and drag her around like a rag doll?

"With all due respect, then, senpai. Please go home," Sakuno kept her voice even and cold, trying to hold off Fuji at arm's length before he broke through this shield she was drawing around herself tighter and tighter with each passing second.

"No, Sakuno-chan. You misunderstand." _I'm not here for him_. _I-_

"Senpai, _please_." _Before I break down, before I lose control, before everything I've done up until now to stay in my shell goes to waste. _She stood and tried to push him out of the awning, but her voice cracked again as she begged him to leave. They ended up in a situation with Fuji getting soaked by the rain, Sakuno with him, her trying to force him out, him not planning on budging a single inch further.

With her sopping wet hair draping across her face looking at the ground and her extended arms still exerting all her force on his back in her attempts to push him, Sakuno pleaded. "Go. Please, just _go_." She locked her knees, planted her feet hard, shoving and shoving and _shoving_, despite knowing that she was too weak. So weak.

And during the single moment where her legs buckled, in a flash, he turned around and grabbed her, embracing her tightly while burying his face into the top of her head. Sakuno was too stunned to move at first, but then began to futilely pound her fists against his chest.

"Fuji-senpai, let me go!"

"No."

Sakuno froze again, one fist dropping from its mid-air position. _What?_

When had she ever heard him use that deep tone of voice? When he had faced Shiraishi? Tezuka? When Mizuki pissed him off by training Yuuta into using that shot?

When it was with tennis. When he faced serious tennis opponents. When he had faced himself.

With girls...never.

But she hadn't heard wrong.

"I won't let go." His voice was slightly muffled by Sakuno's hair, but she heard him, loud and clear. The vibrations from his speaking and hiss breathing reverberated down her neck and caused shivers to run down her back.

"Yuuta knew he hurt you, and he won't take it back. You and I both know that. But I won't stand here and just watch you as you break into pieces like a porcelain doll dropped on the ground." He lifted his face from her head and tenderly lifted a wet lock of brunette hair between his fingers, letting it slip out between his long fingers. "It's as if you're going to shatter into a million shards."

He held her at arm's length, eyes wide open and observing her with an almost piercing gaze. Yet in the sharpness of his look, a tiny hint of something, something Sakuno couldn't put her finger on, was there-almost hiding, only peeking out a tad bit from the corners.

"I don't care if you still love him. I don't care if it takes days or weeks or months for you to forget both the happy and the sad with him. I don't care if I have to wait years before your eyes turn to me."

"Because I'll wait."

"I'll piece you back together."

* * *

And as she took in that puzzling smile of his, she let herself forget time and be swept away by the almost-innocent questioning look in his eyes and that slight dimple in his cheek...

She felt someone stretch out a hand and lift her out of the abyss she had been drowning in.

As she looked into those deep pools that were his eyes, Sakuno saw herself clearly reflected in them; and as he flashed her another characteristically enigmatic smile of his, she relented and let herself fall just a bit out of despair.

Just a little out of despair... and perhaps just a _little_ bit in love, with this boy in front of her and those blue, blue eyes.

* * *

A/N: So...FujiSaku! XD this was a bit depressing in the beginning I think, but listening to Send Me an Angel (Zeromancer) and Mozart's Requiem weren't exactly the best selections?

Please do _**REVIEW,**_ PEOPLE! and **iwha**, hope you liked this!


	5. YukiSaku: At the End of the Tunnel

"Ryuzaki-chan," a soft voice floated into Sakuno's ears, breaking into her thoughts. She sat up.

"Yukimura-san," she greeted with a genuine smile, albeit a bit nervous. She fidgeted slightly, her hands always doing some small movement, be it clenching or unclenching, twiddling her thumbs, or intertwining and untwining her fingers.

Of course, being Yukimura, he would notice. His gaze shifted from her hands to her face, and gently, he said, "Do I make you uncomfortable?"

Her eyes grew wide for a split second with surprise, before widening even more in panicked denial. "N-no, no, that's not-please do not take this the wrong way-I just-"

"It's all right. I'm used to it." Something was wrong. Sakuno didn't know how she was so sure, but she heard it. Heard a thorn, a bitterness to his tone that she had never heard before. And...it was just so _not_ Yukimura that it was hard to miss.

"Yukimura-san?"

"Yes?" His smile was tight, his voice smooth again-in fact, too much so, like the glassy sheen of a lake frozen over. One precarious step too far, and you'd fall into its icy depths.

Sakuno almost, _almost_ became too afraid to put any weight on the ice. But she stuck out one foot, and took a step onto it.  
"I-" she began, but stopped and considered what she could say. He was too proud to want pity, too in-control to ask for help. What could she do, a clumsy, helpless little underclassman like her? This thought made her bite her lip.

"I-I am not uncomfortable," she said slowly, concentratedly, willing herself to be bolder. "Just a bit nervous, but I-I like being with you." she finished with an embarrassed giggle, her hands now fussed with the tips of her braids.

"Just kidding."

"Eh?" Sakuno looked up in surprise.

As he sat down next to her to look at the last of the cherry blossoms, Sakuno saw the smile on Yukimura's lips as he replied with a pleasant "thank you." A quick upturn of the lips that disappeared as fast as it had appeared, but it felt like everything was better again, made a honey golden warmth bubble up in her chest.

_She _had said something to make him smile, a _real_ smile, and he was sitting with her, _here_. He had chosen to spend time with her, and she liked what small conversations she could manage with this on-a-pedestal being. And since he had picked her...well, the least she could do to start would be stay by this perfect person's side.

* * *

Yukimura hated fangirls with a passion. True, they were fans and encouragement was good for the performance of his tennis team, but _God_, he hated them. Those squeals, the overreactions and creepy hanging on to the every word or movement of a regular. It was abominable, in his opinion.

That's why, when he first saw Sakuno, something ugly, akin to disgust, had risen up from the pit of his stomach to lodge in his throat; he thought he might retch at the memory of when he first saw her.

She had been there, been there in his last year of middle school, when that little boy had beaten him and torn off his armor of infallibility for the entire country of Japan to see. She had been there, hoping and cheering and praying for that little boy, and it seemed like God had chosen her prayers to grant. And oh, how he had hated her for that, hated and _hated_ her-for turning the heavens against him in favor of Echizen.

He had hated her. For making him vulnerable. For making him not so perfect.

* * *

Sakuno peeked out of the corner of her eye at Yukimura, who simply sat next to her quietly while looking at the cherry blossoms. She lightly swung her legs back and forth beneath the bench, looking up and left and right, slightly aimlessly, but happy.

And she mused, recalled a treasured memory from a year ago, just around this time of the season, when cherry blossoms substituted snow, and the harsh west wind of the winter thawed into the welcoming breeze of spring.

_Sakuno exited the sports store, tightly gripping the bag of new grip tapes her grandmother had asked her to buy. Looking up at the sky, she thought, "Wow."_

_The aquamarine blue that she had seen before entering the store was now gone; in its stead was splashes of vermillion and an occasional faint swirl of rosy pink and deep purple, thrown across the sky like some contemporary art canvas. __And somewhere in the distance, she heard a familiar "thwack" sound-the sound of tennis balls striking against the sweet spot of a tennis racquet. Intrigued, Sakuno headed off towards the sounds, wondering who would still be playing at this hour. _

_The "thwack"-"thwack"-"thwack" grew louder as she walked, which assured her that she was going the right way. She kept going and going and going and then. She stopped. _

_There was Yukimura Seiichi, practicing by himself on the street tennis courts, just hitting ball after ball towards the empty other side. The bright white of the street lamps illuminated his every movement, and although his movements were still powerful (at least compared to many players she knew personally) Sakuno was easily able to tell that he was tired, or at least having trouble moving the way he had done so fluidly at Nationals just days before. _

_She made her way across the lawn separating her and the court fence, shuffling through the tall grass and observing him all the while. As she neared, Sakuno noticed the sweat streaming down Yukimura's face, and saw the deep intakes of breath as his chest rose and fell quickly. She saw his grip loosen, his racket drop, his knees shake...and then she saw him falling, falling, falling, like the dropping of a fragile, dead leaf from a branch. __  
_

* * *

_Yukimura felt it before he saw it. _

_Even as his legs threatened to give way beneath him, he felt small but warm hands, gripping his arms and pushing up, trying to keep him standing. And as he turned his head just a little, to see -but not to thank, because the Child of God did not _thank_ people- who was there for him when he was about to fall, Yukimura stiffened. It was her._

_He tried to get back up and gather the strength to stand, fling her off, but to his deep frustration- he couldn't. A snarl threatened to rip out from the back of his throat, but somehow, it didn't._

_He felt those small hands, still radiating warmth onto his skin, push him back up so he was upright again. And though he didn't want to, he made himself turn to face the same little girl who had cheered him to defeat days before. _

_Admittedly, she was pretty, with big brown doe eyes and healthy-looking brunette hair with occasional lighter-brown streaks._

_But she had been there. At Nationals. For Seigaku. And he couldn't bring himself to forgive her, to look past that-that she was one of the people who had seen him fall_.

* * *

_Sakuno shuddered. For some reason, when she met Yukimura's eyes, they didn't seem openly hostile, but the sharpness in his gaze was more than enough to make a cold shiver run up her spine. _

_Had she done something wrong? _

_"You're that boy's friend, aren't you?" Yukimura asked. Although his tone was aloft, Sakuno could detect the hints of fatigue and slightly hurried intakes of breath. And a touch of something else...but she couldn't put her finger on it. _

_"Yes," she answered while angling her head downward respectfully. "I just saw you playing just now, and then you seemed rather tired, so when you fell I just kind of rushed over and-" _

_At that moment, Sakuno made the mistake of looking up into the Child of God's eyes. They said it all. _

_That other "something" that she hadn't been able to identify, although she didn't understand why, she at least knew what it was._

_Hatred. Anger._

_Yukimura Seiichi resented her. _

_Deeply. _

* * *

_Yukimura knew she had gotten the message when the girl visibly stiffened. If he were a dog, he'd say that he could practically smell the fear coming off of her. _

_But she stayed put, which puzzled/intrigued him just the slightest bit. When her eyes had met his, they had widened (assumedly in shock), but now her gaze were steady, unwavering, right back into his own. _

_All right, he'd give her that. She wasn't the _typical_ fan girl. But still a fan girl, nevertheless. _

* * *

_She thought back, just a few days before, to when she saw this godlike tennis player, live, for the first time. Needless to say, she had heard of him many times before from her grandmother, teammates, friends, and the regulars. Yet, though she had even seen photos and videos of Yukimura's coaching and playing style, she realized that she had never actually _seen_ him. It wasn't something that was captured on tape or in still motion. You had to _be_ there to feel it. The power. The pressure. The presence._

_Regardless of where he was or who he was up against, Yukimura held the reins-he controlled the game. _

_And now, as Sakuno locked gazes with the same godlike figure who was standing across from her, now hunched, she wondered if it was possible that he hated her...for seeing the unseen...unfold. When she had cheered Ryoma on, Yukimura hadn't seemed even a bit worried; however, as soon as he lost, it was like all the fight in him went dark like a candlelight, the regality in his posture blown out. _

_Sakuno was scared, unbelievably scared. If it were the usual her, she would be shaking like crazy by now or her knees knocking together so loudly that the next person could hear. __Something in Yukimura, however, stopped her-stabilized her. If he hated her already, what else could go wrong? It wasn't as if they'd really ever meet again. True, she could just leave right now without a second look behind her, and honestly, this wasn't her business._

_But while she was ecstatic when Ryoma won, she had glanced out in her peripheral vision. And, somewhere inside, seeing Yukimura broken (though no sane tennis player would ever admit that) like this- she couldn't just leave him alone. She wanted him to stand up again, rise up to be a leader again. Something in _her_ just couldn't help but wish that for him, right here, right now. _

* * *

_"Yukimura-san," she began. _

_He almost glared at her for saying his name, but decided to save the effort, and she went on._

_"You hate me, don't you?" _

_For the second time in his life, Yukimura was speechless. Only for a moment, of course, but still speechless. After a flash of hesitation, he replied, "Perhaps." Stay ambiguous, don't admit it. _

_"You do." Her lips curved up and out in a grim, knowing smile. She wasn't going to take "no" for an answer._

_Yukimura's jaw tightened. Who was this little girl, and why was she so sure of herself? He had half a mind to actually _do_ something just so that she would hurry up and _leave_. First of all, why was he entertaining her presence here anyways? _

_Why was he letting her get close to him, when he had blocked so many people out after that day?_

Her_, of all people. _

* * *

_He didn't say anything for a long while, and as uncomfortable as she was, Sakuno let the words just hang in the air._

_Finally, he opened his mouth, and the first words that came out were, "Falling is ugly." _

_Sakuno couldn't believe her ears. He _replied_ to__ her. For real. She racked her mind for something to answer back with, but could only come up with, "I don't agree." _

_Uh oh. She clasped a hand over her mouth. That probably wasn't the best way to approach this...she gave an experimental glance upwards. He still had a guarded expression, but the raw hatred from before wasn't really there anymore. _

_If anything, he looked tired, wary, and possibly...intrigued? _

_"Explain." _

* * *

_What was he _doing_, having her 'explain'? It'd just prolong her stay here. _

_But he couldn't help but think. She was younger than him, a girl, a weak tennis player by the looks of her stick-skinny arms, and from _Seigaku_, not to mention classmates and friends with that boy. __What did this little girl have to say?_

_She was biting her lip, perhaps debating if she could actually say it or not. Internally, Yukimura goaded her. _You just try_, he taunted. _I'll be listening.

* * *

_"Everyone has a different view on falling," Sakuno said carefully. "And most think it's something to be embarrassed of."_

_"That includes me," she corrected herself, "sometimes." _

_"But while literal falling like tripping and rolling down the stairs in snowball fashion may make someone a laughingstock out of themselves-" _

_To her surprise, Yukimura interrupted her. "I assume that means you've done so." _

_Sakuno flushed a deep scarlet, the heat rushing up from the bottom of her neck to her cheeks. Meanwhile she thought in relief, _At least he's listening and not outright ignoring me... _She pretended to not hear Yukimura, and continued. _

_"But even literal falling, and even more so, the figurative fall you mentioned, I think it's necessary, to a certain extent._

_"We all make mistakes." Looking straight at him, Sakuno said more firmly, "even the best of us do, just maybe a lot, lot, less than others." _

_The look he gave her was startling (not resentful like the angry blue of a hurricane, just clear and open- the night sky in his eyes); she stumbled but kept going. _Just keep holding on, just keep going, just keep going.._. _

_"It might be a dark tunnel, perhaps," she struggled a little to find the right words. "Where we can't see anything. We fall all the time, slipping on puddles and rocks. __But when we do, it's something to learn from._

_"I__t might hurt, m__ight cause a wound or a gash-we might even get a scar. __But it will heal, and when it does, we can stand back up again._

_"Because no matter how many times we fall," Sakuno said this with the most conviction she had ever had, to an almost bewildered Yukimura. "We know that there's someone waiting for us at the end of the tunnel."_

* * *

"What are you thinking about?" Yukimura looped one arm around Sakuno, tugging her to his side. (Who ever thought that the Child of God would cuddle a girl, in public?)

She smiled. "Nothing, just about how I met you." _  
_

As his arm tightened a little bit and his nose nuzzled into her hair, Sakuno thought fondly, _And about how our love story began..._

* * *

A/N: Wow. That was really hard. Probably one of the worst of all the chapters so I'm sorry, **Mistress Hydrangea**! Yuki's a hard character for me to grasp correctly. He's too complicated~ =.=

Anyways, everyone, please read, **REQUEST**, and don't forget: _**REVIEW**_!


	6. YanagiSaku: Committed to Trying

Sakuno stared at the unfolding match between Sanada and Yukimura, her eyes unbelieving and unblinking. Was this _tennis_ still?

She had seen Sanada-senpai's strength against Tezuka-senpai before, at the Kantou Regionals during middle school. But, Yukimura… he wasn't playing tennis. He had turned tennis into a weapon—one that he didn't seem to hesitate wielding against even his closest teammates or friends.

"How…" Sakuno muttered. _How can he bring himself to do that?_

"Because he's the Rikkai captain," said a voice from behind, causing Sakuno to jump.

She turned to face who she considered the most mysterious -and at the same time, attractive one- of them all: the Data Master, the Rikkai "Professor," and secretly, who she thought was a closed-eyed tennis player by day and a secret stalker at night. Or maybe not so secret.

"Yanagi-senpai," she greeted. "Good morning."

"Good morning," he replied pleasantly (albeit detachedly) and turned to face the match, his back now to her.

Out of instinct, Sakuno sighed at being ignored, although she quickly clapped a hand over her mouth and peered up carefully to see if Yanagi had heard. When the upperclassman didn't even glance away from his friends' match, Sakuno dropped her hand. _Phew_. Seemed like he hadn't noticed.

* * *

Yanagi suppressed a smile. He had heard that sigh, loud and clear, as well as the quiet clap of his junior's hand over her mouth to silence herself.

Obviously she didn't think he had heard, but he had. Not that he was going to say anything, because, well, he never _did_. He just took notes, notes, and _more_ notes-and then translated them into a battle plan. As for the more personality-based or private information he "stumbled" upon...that was set aside elsewhere.

Yanagi thought he understood Sakuno relatively well. Despite her having transferred here from Seigaku not long ago, and not to mention two years after them, the amount of notebook pages dedicated to her data was on par, if not more, than many of the regulars and non-regulars on the Rikkaidai tennis team.

She was like an open book, unlike Yukimura or Sanada (although after being acquainted for years, Yanagi could read them pretty well, too). The Data Master found that he had pleasure in, almost _enjoyed_, figuring out her expressions and seeing the surprise on her face when he was able to predict her thoughts. Although he still found it perplexing when she made a face of fear whenever he started going on about everyone's (including her) habits. He still wondered what about his data scared her. It was quite interesting, not scary at all.

Perhaps it was something _he_ was doing?

* * *

Sakuno didn't understand Yanagi. As much as she struggled to continue the most basic of conversations with him, and watched him as much as possible without acting stalkerish -like he does sometimes- the Master still kept his distance, at most a basic greeting before going silent and taking notes again.

She tried, she really did. She saw how he interacted with the guys, and did her best to imitate similar scenarios, but it didn't seem to work. She wanted to become something a little past friends, but to her complete and utter frustration, he didn't seem to treat her as even a friend. The only times he said more than two words to her were when she asked about his data. _Then_, he'd start rattling off numbers and people and places off the top of his head, and Sakuno couldn't help but take a step or two backwards to prevent her head from reeling.

And...oh dear. He was doing it again, except to himself now.

* * *

"Akaya's back foot is 3.5 degrees off its usual," Yanagi muttered quietly. "We're going to have to train footwork tomorrow." He scribbled the thought down.

"Maybe if we use 5 kg or 6 kg ankle weights...there's a 50-66.7% chance that his muscles will grow strong enough to train out a new move..." he scribbled that down, too.

"Although there's a 25% chance that he'll hurt himself," Yanagi's eyebrows drew together slightly, "and a 10% chance that they won't help him at all. Or maybe-"

"Um...senpai?" The girl beside him, who he had almost forgotten about in his musing, spoke up and broke into his thoughts.

Well. This was new. Sakuno was quite a quiet girl, and respectful at that to everyone around her. It was rare for her to interrupt anyone, regardless of whether they were mumbling to themselves or speaking to her.

"What is it, Ryuuzaki?"

"Um. Er." It was at this kind of time when Yanagi got frustrated, because it was at this kind of time that he realized...he didn't know her _that_ well. For some odd reason, Sakuno was getting flustered...for some odd reason that Yanagi had no clue about.

"Nevermind." She said with a nervous smile. "Forget it, please."

"...All right," was all Yanagi said quietly, before returning to the match.

***  
His sister had told him that he had to be more friendly, especially towards girls, who wouldn't understand his detached way of speaking and observing people over true conversation.

And while he understood her _logical_ explanation, (it did, after all, run in the family) he just couldn't bring himself to take up the task in real life. The male Rikkai tennis team knew that he was like this, so they did their best to communicate. Yukimura and Sanada especially were immune to his strings of data; they were old friends, after all.

It wasn't that he wanted to stay away from people-he enjoyed company, in fact, that was like Sakuno's. Quiet, but steady. But he just couldn't manage a real conversation, and before he knew it, he was avoiding speaking too much -or rather, at _all_- to the younger girl currently standing next to him.

But perhaps...if he tried just a _bit_ harder, or maybe had a _bit_ more time with her...he could figure her out a bit more.

* * *

"Ryuuzaki?"

"Oh. Uh, yes!" It took Sakuno a while to realize that the boy was talking to her. After all, it was rare for him to ever approach her first in a conversation. Or rather, it had never happened before.

"Would you accompany me to the equipment store tomorrow afternoon?"

"Eh?" Sakuno couldn't believe her ears. "Are you sure?" Why her?

"Only if you'd like. Of course, I could ask someone else if you are busy-"

"N-no, I'll go!" She beamed. Here was her chance to get to know him better, to make a better impression, perhaps. She wasn't going to miss it for anything! ...or screw it up either.

* * *

"Um...Yanagi-senpai?" Sakuno said quietly.

Yanagi silently reached past her for a pack of racquet strings and then faced her. "You want to know why I asked you. Right?"

"Y-yeah. If possible," she added hastily in respect. She had almost forgotten to be respectful in her surprise at him knowing, once again, what she was thinking, word for word.

"Your curiosity is in response to my sudden invitation after all that lack of contact beforehand."

"Y-yes..."

"If that is the case, then you should be able to answer that question on your own after today."

"Eh?" Sakuno couldn't make heads nor tails of what Yanagi was saying. She had just asked him a question, but now he was telling her to answer it herself?

She looked up at her senior and saw the smallest hint of a smile on his lips. "You'll see. Collect all your thoughts, organize the data, and then you'll have a conclusion by the end." And with that cryptic answer, he moved on past her to ask the store owner when the new grip tape was coming in, leaving Sakuno with imaginary question marks hanging over her head.

"Hah..." What on earth...was going on?

* * *

"All right. We're done here."

Sakuno turned around from the tennis balls she had been looking at. "Already?"

"We're going," was all he replied. Sakuno hurriedly bowed to the store owner, put back the racquet strings, and then scurried out after Yanagi. Where were they going anyway?

"You wanted to try out the new cafe that opened up next door right?"

"Yes, that's correct, but-" _isn't that a waste of your time?_

"We're going in." Yanagi said simply. He made his way towards the cafe and put his hand on the door, but something was off. He turned around to see Sakuno still standing stock still behind him, with no signs of moving.

Here was one of those moments again. What was she hesitating for?

Walking back towards her, he grabbed her hand and pulled lightly. "Come."

* * *

Sakuno felt the gentle tug on her hand as her senpai tried to pull her towards the cafe that he knew she had wanted to go to. Her eyes grew wide when she realized that they were holding hands; an immediate blush threatened to surface, and despite her efforts to push it down, her cheeks turned a light rosy pink.

After somehow successfully pulling her gently through the cafe entrance, Yanagi faced Sakuno and noted the blush on her face.

"Your face is red, Ryuuzaki."

"Ah, eh, erm...Thank you. For bringing me here."

He looked at her, raising an eyebrow. _You know I know that that's not it_.

"And...um, our hands." Sakuno sputtered out nervously. It wasn't that she wanted him to let go, but...

Yanagi looked down. "Oh," he said like he had just noticed. "I'm sorry, would you like me to let go?"

* * *

If he said that he was perfectly all right with letting go, that he wasn't disappointed at all...

That would be a lie.

And if he said that her shaking her head vigorously in reply didn't make him happy...it would probably be the biggest lie he ever told in his entire life. But he was rushing the whole endeavor to get to know her better, and he knew it.

_Take the data slowly_, he told himself. _Objectively. Make sure before you make a move. Come on, Renji, it's just like shogi. Keep your cool and think it through_.

"If that's the case, then," he said to her, "why don't we get a seat and try this place out?"

"Okay!" Yanagi couldn't help but smile back at Sakuno's bright beam at him. A waitress sat them down near the window, and after a few minutes of alternating between looking out the window and looking down at the menu, Sakuno finally ordered a small treat along with water.

She looked at the upperclassmen sitting across from her, took one last look at the menu, and whispered into the waitress's ear what she wanted. Yanagi watched as, grinning, the older girl nodded and headed back over to the kitchen.

When Sakuno turned back to him, Yanagi couldn't suppress his curiosity. "What did you order for me?"

"Mm...you will see, senpai. Let's see how well I know you," she replied playfully.

"Playing mysterious, aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow, but his lips turned upwards anyways. He would just have to see for himself "how well she knew" him.

* * *

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," the waitress came back with two plates on her hands. First placing one on Sakuno's side, "here you go, sweetie," she then proceeded to carefully put down Yanagi's order. At first puzzled, Yanagi's confusion cleared when he saw the five carefully created wagashi arranged in front of him.

"Dig in," the waitress said cheerfully before slipping away.

"..." Yanagi couldn't help but stare, first at his food, then at Sakuno, who giggled, half in joy, half in embarrassment.

"How did you know? I'm sure I've never..."

"Senpai, do you trust what we call a person's 'instinct'?" Sakuno asked, still beaming.

"Instinct, huh... Seems like your instinct can even beat the best arrangement of data." Yanagi smiled to himself, having recollected his thoughts and was now beginning on his order, starting from the farthest left one first. _But nevertheless, I live by data. Instinct or no instinct, I'll still stick by my notebooks_.

"Ryuuzaki, I have a few questions."

"Eh? Ah, yes. Please go ahead."

"All right. It will take a while, though."

* * *

"So you have no siblings?" "Ah, no. I am an only child."

"What are your hobbies besides tennis?" "Eh...I like drawing, and have begun to learn calligraphy lately."

"Calligraphy?" Yanagi's ears perked up, but immediately scolded himself internally. _Don't stray from your objective_. "A good, steady hobby."

"Have you been happy?"

"Eh?" Sakuno was apparently confused by the ambiguity of his question.

Yanagi thought it over. Was it really good to ask this? Perhaps it was too sensitive of a topic, but he couldn't help but wonder. Did she regret it? Leaving Seigaku? "Are you happy, here? At Rikkaidai? With everybody?" _...with me?_

And she responded in a pleasing manner. "Yes I am." Blushing lightly and looking down at her hands, Sakuno also mumbled something quietly. Quietly, but Yanagi caught it nevertheless. "With Yanagi-senpai, as well."

The boy was elated, but reined his expression in.

Sakuno lifted her head, when something apparently struck her mind. "Um, senpai. Why so many questions?"

Yanagi smiled at her actions and question. Data collection complete, and 99.9% that she reciprocated the same feelings he had. He never thought he'd say this, but..._thank God_.

Cautiously, Yanagi reached out a hand towards Sakuno's hand on the table, simultaneously gauging her reaction. When she just smiled, he lightly gripped her small hand in his. "I just thought it was necessary to try to get to know you better."

* * *

Sakuno smiled through her embarrassment, bringing her other hand to rest on Yanagi's. Yanagi-senpai didn't say much; what he called data, she called instinct, and had to use that instinct to somehow puzzle out what he hid behind that complacent, detached expression of his.

And, when she was with Yanagi, despite not really knowing what he was thinking sometimes, she took comfort in that he might not _always_ know everything about her or what she was thinking either-although he was usually right when he guessed.

It was through him that she realized, that your significant other might not be like the shoujo anime or manga that she read where they knew every single thing about you, through and through, and could finish your sentences or read your mind just through your eyes.

When she was with Yanagi, she felt like your loved one might not be the person who understood you best, or the person who could finish your every sentence for you. He might have to ask more questions than you expect, and you might both get frustrated that you _can't_ read each other's minds.

But while he might not understand you 100%, he would definitely be the one trying his hardest to.

* * *

A/N: Ok, sorry, this is pretty unedited, but I really want to get it out there, so someone tell me if the plot is crap or if there's mistakes somewhere!

Or rather...PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! :]


	7. OishiSaku: My Turn

As Oishi's eyes flickered back and forth on the court, following the blur that was the tennis ball, they also occasionally flit to the player on the right side of the court _Eiji..._ he thought tiredly, before looking down at his paperwork.

When he felt someone else's gaze on him, at first his head snapped up and, in reflex, looked to Eiji. But the latter didn't seem to have any clue that Oishi had been looking at him, instead continuing to call and play tennis like he usually did- with laughter, his acrobatics, and teasing all the while (of course, with poor Momoshiro on the other side of the net, dashing here and there trying to get the ball that was flying in all directions). So it wasn't him...

Oishi scanned the courts. _Nope, none of the regulars._ Finally, he caught the gaze of Sakuno, who had been looking at him _across_ the courts on the opposite side of the fence. Having gotten his attention, she waved shyly, the pink coloring her cheeks matching well with the ribbon in her hair. Smiling, Oishi waved back to his girlfriend and, at the same time, beckoned her to come sit with him.

Sakuno hurried over and then, after Oishi had kindly brushed off some dirt on the bleacher, plopped down. "Hello, Oishi-senpai," she greeted brightly while beaming.

"Hello to you, too," he replied with a smile.

Not much ensued afterwards, as Sakuno respected the fact that Oishi had work to do. Though, when they had first started going out, she had been slightly upset by the arrangement of his priorities, Sakuno knew, _saw_ how much the team meant to him. And so, as her eyes returned to the ongoing match, Oishi dipped his head back down to continue the paperwork.

* * *

Well, until he seemed mostly done anyways. "Um...senpai?" Sakuno ventured as Oishi worked on the last sheet. "I have a question..."

"Hm?" Oishi replied absentmindedly, still scribbling.

"..." Sakuno opened her mouth, but then hesitated. It was a pretty sensitive topic, wasn't it? What if, what _if_, he got angry? Like, Oishi-senpai didn't get angry much, especially not with her, but _still_.

"Sakuno," Oishi turned towards her now, puzzled by the silence that ensued after he had given her the okay to go ahead. "What did you want to ask?"

She bit her lip, but then let go of it after preparing herself mentally. _Oh, whatever. Here goes nothing_.

"Is senpai afraid of never seeing Kikumaru-senpai again?"

"Eh?"

"Er. Well. I saw senpai looking at Kikumaru-senpai, but you didn't call out to him, or smile. Senpai is not like yourself today. And so..."

* * *

Oishi panicked slightly when Sakuno buried her face in her hands, both in helplessness and embarrassment. "I'm sorry, senpai. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have asked, I overstepped the line."

"No, no." He shook his head hastily, trying to calm her down. "For one, you're my girlfriend, Sakuno." He playfully touched the tip of her nose with his index finger and registered, with satisfaction, a blush spread across her face. "You have a right to ask me anything."

"Plus," he continued with a sad smile, "It's time to get used to this anyways." It was the truth that he was going to a different college than Eiji. And who said that they'd lose contact after high school? Best friends didn't break _that_ easily...at least, that's what he told himself over and over again, hoping, _praying_ that it would work out somehow. But regardless, he didn't want to make the people around him stress out, like she was right now. It was the last thing he wanted.

Oishi gently tugged her to his side, looping an arm loosely around her shoulders and leaning her against him. "I'm more worried about the team after we're gone. Each of the regulars I'm sure will do their best to hold it together, but in the case that Kaidoh and Momo get stuck in the same situation as middle school, I'm afraid..."

* * *

As he babbled on while walking back to the clubhouse to finish _more_ work, Sakuno followed while scrunching her eyebrows together in worry. She knew that he was trying to alleviate her upset by forcing himself to be bright about the future and, instead, worrying about the others like he always does.

But if he always worried about the others, what about him? It wasn't really fair to Oishi-senpai.

* * *

After getting into the clubhouse, Oishi continued to babble on and on while still staring out the window at all the ongoing matches. When he finally finished stressing out about the team and comically wrung his hands for the last time, Oishi turned away from the window. As he took a step back towards the desk to finish his paperwork, he jumped slightly when two slender arms (which were very familiar) wrapped tightly around his waist.

"...Sakuno?"

She didn't reply, just buried her head into his back like a kitten in her mother's belly fur.

"Hey." Oishi attempted to turn and face her, but she surprisingly had the strength in those skinny arms to prevent him from doing so. "What's wrong?"

"Senpai worries too much."

"Hey hey, are you going to say I'm a mother hen, just like everybody else-" Oishi was about to joke-chide her for making fun of him, as he thought that was what she was doing, but Sakuno interrupted him.

"But it's not fair to Oishi-senpai."

_Oh_. That's where she was going. He felt a genuine smile this time tug on his lips, as something warm inside began to grow, at seeing the affection and attention Sakuno was showering on him. He couldn't describe it well-like a combination of gratitude, pride, and just pure happiness at having her as his girlfriend. Admittedly, she wasn't his first, because he had dated a few girls in the past. Nice girls of course, but...they wouldn't, _couldn't_ match up to her.

Because he knew, Sakuno's eyes were constantly on him, observing him and making sure that his priorities were her priorities, even if it meant sacrificing their time together or a previously set date. Because, he knew, she cared for him _that_ much. Even if she hadn't said anything, Oishi had realized what she was doing soon after they had gotten together. She was almost perfect-attentive, forgiving, yet never asking for anything in return except his company, when he could manage it.

"Thank you," Oishi said in reply after a moment or two of a comfortable silence. _Thank you for everything you've done for me, for the_ team_,__ until now_.

* * *

"Thank you," Sakuno heard her boyfriend say in that gentle voice of his, and she relaxed. Most of the tension had left his shoulders, and, hopefully, if she wasn't wrong- he knew, he got what she was trying to say. And it made her blush and feel all fuzzy inside when she re-realized that this boy was _hers_. That they could be together for-who knows how long? Forever, perhaps.

So when Oishi pulled her arms off tenderly and turned around to face her, Sakuno avoided his gaze, instead burying her now-burning face into his chest this time.

_If Oishi-senpai is going to worry about everyone else- Tezuka-senpai, Ryoma-kun, the non-regulars- then I'll be the one there for senpai. If senpai won't worry for yourself, then it's my turn to be the one worrying about you._

* * *

A/N: Okayy, so this was at the request of music4life XD hope it's all right? I realize it's a bit short, but I think here, shorter was better, captured the essence of the moment better. So...second of the Seigaku regulars, probably another Shitenhouji one (Chitose, Mistress Hydrangea? :]) coming up, depending on reviews.

SO REVIEW AND REQUEST, PEOPLE~ :)


	8. NOTICE!

Hi everyone!

Sorry for the hiatus; I'll be coming back to SS this week or so, so please feel free to leave your requests and reviews in the coming days! I'll update soon! Lots of love~

SpiritPrincess101


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